Graphics 9/10

The hand-drawn art style (yes, I said hand-drawn) captures the creativity of its homeland, Newgrounds. The game has some simple textures, but the overall craziness of the graphics give it a clearly unique look. The Hominid himself looks like he should, innocent but dangerous. The enemies are pretty much the same, but even they look funny enough to be interesting. A very clever move was that the animation changes depending on how you kill your enemy. Shoot him high, he falls. Knife him, he cuts in half. The variety of the animation must be recognized. More games need the hilarious graphic style that Alien Hominid possesses.

Audio 7/10

Quite honestly, there’s not much to it. Then again, it’s far from bad. The gun sounds appropriate and the knife sound does as well. Listening to the screaming FBI agents just doesn’t get old. The Hominid himself is rather quiet, but at least he doesn’t talk in a disturbing voice. It was very wise to make the Hominid a "shoot first, ask questions later" type of character. Music is basic. The background music has nearly nothing in it that stands out from a typical game. But it’s pretty much okay.

Gameplay 9/10

Before I begin, I must say that if you plan to beat the whole game on the slim amount of lives you are given, you are in for a challenge, because Alien Hominid is difficult. Fortunately, if you do run out of lives and continues, you can start at the beginning of the level for no charge. Sweet. The gameplay continues the funny that the graphics began. There’s a huge amount of ways to turn FBI agents into little bloody piles of investigation. Gun ‘em, knife ‘em, bite their heads off, bowl with them, pull them underground, the hilarity does not end! You can even hop into vehicles and go crazy! Boss battles are not only fun, but clever. Defeating a boss involves more than twitch skills. You’re gonna have to find the boss’s weak point before your run and gun. Some levels cause you to play in a game style similar to Asteroids, where your spaceship must gun down enemies from a top down perspective. An extra bonus is two-player co-op, which adds some even nicer gameplay. Alien Hominid avoids a dangerous pitfall of similar games: it keeps gameplay fresh by introducing new gameplay elements during the game.

Replay Value 7/10

This is Alien Hominid’s weakest link. The game is short. Very short. Playing non-stop, it’s possible to beat it in a matter of hours. But the levels are long, and the overall style of the game promises some lasting appeal. Some unlockable PDA mini-games add to the fun, and the co-op multi-player lets your friends join the fun. The replay value is fueled by Alien Hominid immense and hilarious tilt. It may be short, but the little Hominid alone should bring you back for some more shooting.

Final Verdict: 8/10

Alien Hominid is a gem. It takes everything good about 2-D shooters and adds the twisted charm of Newgrounds itself. From the slick hand-drawn art style to the clever and addictive gameplay, Alien Hominid is worth every penny. It’s worth at least a rental, if not a purchase.